Unwanted
by a mountain of gideon's scones
Summary: She was never going to be anything to him, not really. She was just a piece in his game, after all. BishopElsie, for Middy.


**I do not own Morganville Vampires, or the line "[Amelie's] through and through" inspiration for which was taken from Harry Potter… and "a piece in his game" is inspired from The Hunger Games**

**I also do not own Elsie [a burning capitol seal]**

* * *

He's never been a vampire who falls in love; he's never been one of the people to try and hang onto their humanity by clutching at straws, trying with all their might to form bonds with other vampires, just to feel something – he just doesn't _care_. He never has and he never will: to him, love is something for weak humans, an experience that has already passed his way, and he has never had a desire for an eternity long life of "love" as so many of his kind have. Feelings have no hold on Bishop, as he acts for his own self-gain, thinking everything through to increase his power in the world. Others can love _him_, adore _him_, yet the feelings need not ever be reciprocated: to act out of anything other than to gain leads, ultimately, to downfall.

And downfall leads to death.

"Love" for his daughter, the only surviving – for they're not _living_, not really – person he would have allowed himself to feel something for, is shroud by the anger he feels that she shunned him, rejected joining _him_, the one who controlled her joining the second, more promising life. He knows that he could never deal with her rationally, if she happened to cross his path, able to deal with her as he would all the others who had deigned to decline his offer of greatness – he's never been able to. That's the only reason she managed to leave in the first place, because of his inability to treat her without their familirial link, and he knows that she'll always have a slight advantage over the others who deign to stand in his path.

Until she tries to kill him, that is.

For the first time in his life, Bishop finds himself acting on vengeance, destroying everything he could reach, that his daughter held close to her heart – when she's long gone from his "grave" that is. He wants to destroy her, to rid the world of the woman who ought to never have really been here – and this makes him allow himself to feel emotion – to an extent.

He finds himself enjoying the company of young females – humans, of course – who would never leave his lair alive, a sadistic joy in hearing their screams as he takes their life slowly. He relishes in the destruction of large areas of England and France, vampires loyal to Amelie ripped to shreds by himself, Ysandre and François, as he tries to do everything he can to rid himself of the problematic emotions.

Only once he has rid himself of them can he go along to Amelie, find her, and destroy her – as that's all she deserves, really.

(But he can only go there once he stops feeling this, as otherwise it's dangerous.)

**~x~**

It takes centuries before he's rid himself of the emotions, destroyed any remnants of enjoying human company for reasons other than their blood, and he's one hundred percent positive that he's only going to Morganville to get his book back. He doesn't care for Amelie's destruction – or so he tells himself – because he's only going to get his book back, the one she stole from him. He doesn't need to destroy her…so long as she gives him back her book.

She tells him that they'll discuss shortly what he desires from his visit to town, and he can tell she's visibly shaken by his appearance, and then she bundles him off in one of the cars he supposes are for her use only – there's only her scent, after all, upon the back seats. It's a large, pleasant looking house that they stop outside – as pleasant as anything could be, in this town within the desert – and they're greeted by a female vampire, who he can tell has only been a vampire for less than a century, and his attention is grasped.

For the first time in five hundred years, he's analysing someone for a reason other than personal gain.

There's something in her eyes that makes him think that maybe, just maybe, there's a spark inside of her that is reminiscent of himself, of Amelie when she was still loyal to him. She's not particularly stunning to look at, unlike Ysandre, yet he thinks that this girl…he thinks that she has got something inside of her that is more than just a servant. She could be something greater…but she's on Amelie's side. Otherwise, there would be no chance she would be allowed to serve _him_, when all his daughter desires is for him to be destroyed.

"Why are you looking at that girl?" Ysandre addresses Bishop with a touch of jealousy to her tone, something that causes Bishop to roll his eyes.

"If you happen to have forgotten _why_ we are here, we must gain more followers on our side, from Amelie's so called _loyal_ vampires," he replies, yet his eyes never leave the girl. Ideas of carnal lust return to him, as suddenly as they disappeared, yet without the idea that he would kill her – or love her. Just use her. But he manages to subdue them as he realises that the best way to get to her - to get to Amelie, really – is to get her to join his side. Then…then he could admire her inner beauty and find himself a reason to be allowed to enjoy this pleasure – for it would never be love. Never.

Ysandre doesn't reply, and Bishop finds himself walking into the house without addressing the girl, determined to only speak to her in order to persuade her to join his side.

He never thought that he would ever find himself looking at someone in this manner.

**~x~**

It's the night before the Welcome Feast, the organisation of which proves to Bishop that his daughter is _scared_ of him (as she right well should), and it's the last chance he has to request this young girl to join him. It was decided that he would wait until the last night, as to hide the fact that he happened to be finding followers within the town who would stand with him in an uprising, on the chance that she would decline and then hastily inform Amelie of her Father's plans.

"Elsie." He calls her name dryly, his volume as it would be if she happened to be in the room, rather than across the house.

"Yes, sir?" she's in the room within an instant, standing by the door, waiting to hear the latest request. He's enjoyed the freedom of having someone else fetch everything for him, complete the subject of his whims without hesitation – everything that he wants is what he is to get, he supposes Amelie has informed her.

The girl, Elsie, is younger than he perhaps assumed at first: barely in her twenties, physically, her vampire nature seems to suggest she is younger than others who had been "born" in this town, yet slightly older than the idiotic lover of his daughter, something which is evident in the way by which she moves through the rooms and her manners. Yet she's still as…_intriguing_ to Bishop as she was the first time he set eyes on her – and he has a reason for desiring to recruit her to his side now, a reason other than his own personal desire, something he may find himself acting in regards to shortly.

"I have a…_proposition_ for you. Sit down and close the door." He orders her to sit at the chair before his desk, his eyes narrowing as he apprehends her confusion at such a request. His fellows are on the other side of the house, bored due to their lack of ability to hunt their prey, and he knows that this room shall not be entered by either of his most loyal followers. Once his door is shut, the room is inaccessible to them.

Elsie sits and waits, everything about her giving off the impression that she's nervous, that she has no idea what is coming, other than it cannot be good. He can tell that there's a strong chance that she won't join him, that the bond she has with Amelie will be too great for him to overcome, yet he has the time and patience to try and force her. It is unclear why he feels such a strong desire to turn this girl onto his side without resorting to biting her, yet he does…and he will not stop, unless it becomes clear that she will never join him.

"You are aware of the _difference_ between myself and my daughter, the woman you call yourself loyal to, I presume?" he begins, and the young woman before him nods slowly. "Good. I need not explain myself to an idiot, for it seems to me that you are far from being branded this. I desire _you_ to join _me_ against Amelie, in a fight which I _will_ emerge victorious."

He watches her expression slowly, as it changes from indifference to confusion, until, finally, it settles on shock. "But…but _sir_. I…I…things are _good_ for me. I don't want things to change. I want things to remain as they are, for I don't feel that, outside of working for the Founder, I would have as good life prospects."

"Oh, for heaven's _sake_, woman, call her by the name she was given at birth. _Amelie_. She deserves nothing further," he's frustrated by the simple manner of Amelie being given a title other than her name, yet it does not defer him from his mission – to try and make sure that Elsie joins his side.

Pouring a little of a drink which contains muscle relaxants in – which he has tested on vampires, with results of thirty more vampires joining his side – he offers her it, and she accepts, albeit with slight hesitation. He's sure that she's too young to smell anything as discreet as the drugs in the concoction, particularly with the large overload of alcohol present in the mixture, and he watches with relish as she takes a sip.

"I…she is my boss, sir, and therefore I shall call her what she desires to be called." Elsie remains to be defiant to a man who finds himself succumbing to the horrors of _feelings_ once again. He doesn't desire things like he did before, but merely for his control of this girl to result in her siding with him.

(Little does he know that this girl is stronger than any other vampire on Amelie's side, even stronger than Sam, and there's no way that she would ever join him. No matter _what_ he does.)

There's a beat or two of silence, during which Elsie takes another sip of the drink in her hand, and it transpires that this is the moment in which the drug will take effect. Within seconds, her body is relaxed, only remaining on the seat due to the balance brought to her through the benefit of being a vampire, and Bishop sits opposite her, his lips stretching into a smile.

She's under his control now, at his mercy, and he's sure some _influencing_ will bring her round to the right way of thinking, because, otherwise, it's near certain death that she will face.

**.**

He explains this for hours, growing slightly more impatient and concerned that she won't join him, with each time he has to repeat himself. It's not the _girl_ who is particularly important, or even that she's _Amelie's_ through and through it seems, but more the fact that he needs to prove to himself that he's got the power to bring unwilling people over to his side, without merely bringing them under his loyalty. He wants to see how far he can get someone to join him by merely _him_, to see how far his undeniable power and appreciation can spread across how likely someone is to join him.

By now, however, his exasperation has reached the point that he almost doesn't care: he should either let her go running back to Amelie or destroy her, leaving only smithereens of what was once Elsie. Yet he doesn't do either, because he's still a male, after all, and his ego is squashed that she, no matter how much coaxing he gives her, will never depart the side of her _dearly beloved _mistress_,_ never betray her for power.

He decides to see how far _feelings_ can get him, to see if, perhaps, there is a chance that the thing he has always quashed can, in fact, gain the result he desires the most. It isn't just this girl who he's doing this for, though it would be nice to turn one of Amelie's most loyal servants against her, he wants to prove to himself that he can create his own army just for the reasons why he's fighting her. After all, there must be almost as many vampires in the town who oppose his daughter, in comparison to those who support her.

In the end, he's reached the point where he just wants her to _agree_: he just wants to do anything that will result in her silence, and if that results in showing emotion, so be it. There will be the need for it in the coming days, anyway, he presumes, so he may as well begin now.

He reaches out to slam his hand beneath her jaw, to cut off the torrent of words streaming out about how _Amelie_ is the true ruler, things she dares to say because Amelie is in control, and if Elsie disappeared, it would cause problems which wouldn't be able to be resolved before the Welcoming Feast.

She's shocked to say the least, able to run away, yet finding herself strangely drawn to the man sitting before her; if they weren't on opposing sides, she supposes she would find his drive to make her agree with him almost _romantic_ – yet she won't, because he's Bishop and she was given strict orders to not allow him to do anything which could result in him gaining enough followers to overthrow the Founder from her position of power. He's old, of course, and not particularly aesthetically pleasing, yet there's a power core inside of him, of which Elsie is sure is stronger than Amelie's – he wants what he wants more than Amelie does.

It's almost enough for her to drop her resolve to follow her orders, for her to realise that there _is_ some truth within the words he continually says to her, but she's just strong enough to hang on. What someone is like on the inside may also be a false appearance, and if she had a chance to destroy him, she's sure she would – for her mistress, for _Amelie_.

And yet he's still intoxicating for her, someone whose voice and desire to make her believe is strong enough for her to realise that there is a chance that he could turn her opinion, if she stays much longer. That is probably the purpose of the muscle relaxant: to make her sit and listen, then have her _want_ to stay and listen, because she thinks he has a point.

Her vampire quick eyes don't see just a blur as he moves around the room, resulting in standing in front of her, something he soon adjusts to being merely a foot above her head height. It's a strange atmosphere in the room, something between the awkwardness of the situation, what with their differing ages and positions in the town, alongside the way that she can tell that there's something about the man that suggests anything that happens will be immediately forgotten.

She doesn't want to be a piece in his game, someone who is wanted to join the group, then just left to attack, when there is no chance of her winning. If she was to die, she would rather die on Amelie's side, on the side of the true people, rather than a traitor for the off chance that they would win and she could steal power from the current ruler. She's more than happy with her current position in life, something that he's sure he knows, because why would Amelie put someone who could weaken in the house to guard Bishop? She's always been supportive of the ruler, to the point where she thinks she would die rather than see this man in charge, yet her mind is beginning to be twisted to think that he's right.

She doesn't want that. She wants to be allowed to know that the _Founder_ is the right person, that her current boss is of more consequence than Bishop could ever be, because she isn't acting out of vengeance. Though Elsie can tell that Bishop is trying not to have any feelings, she can see the hatred for Amelie radiating off of him, the desire to rip her throat out barely contained – and not contained enough.

His lips press to hers, and she can tell that this is the last weapon in his artillery to try and make her join him – and even as his hand moves onto her shoulder, to try and force himself on her further, she's aware that he's failed. She's never going to join him.

The kiss feels wrong, tainted almost, because they're never meant to be together, are they? He's ancient and she's barely able to be classed as a vampire adult; there's more than fifteen hundred years between them, and yet this isn't the only reason why the physical contact is so wrong. He's forcing it, trying to make her think that he's a perfect vampire, that _his_ ideas are superior to anyone else's, and she's able to see through this, even as he tries with many wilful ways to make her _want him_.

"Stop!" she manages to say, wriggling out of his grasp because he isn't holding her, not really. "I'm not going to join you, alright? Your arguments are wrong and you're acting for vengeance. That's all. Just leave me _alone_."

She runs out of the room as quickly as she possibly can, wiping away all traces of the elderly vampire from her lips, as she tries to forget about everything. He's no longer addling her thoughts, no longer able to make her consider that _he_ is right and Amelie is wrong; Elsie is now one hundred percent on Amelie's side, and there's nothing that the Founder's Father can do that can make her change her mind.

Little does she know that she's just signed her own death warrant.

**~x~**

Within days, Elsie's entire life has been turned upside down. There's been the Welcoming Feast, where everything changed – war was declared, loyalties changed, and secretive battle ensued. Her precious leader changed within Elsie's eyes, turning from someone in a position of power, into someone who would take that power and stride into the face of adversary, even if there was the possibility of death.

And now she stands, ready to enter the City Hall, ready to fight alongside her leader and her fellow vampires, all of whom believe in the cause, and she knows that there's a strong chance that she won't make it through. She's right at the back, along with the other weaker vampires – besides Sam, of course, since he refused to leave Amelie's side in all this – and wants desperately to get into the action. Bloodthirsty Elsie is something that never really shines through: it's only when she wants to avenge something, and she wants to destroy _anything_ to do with those who dare to oppose Amelie – and, by association, her. She wants to do _something_ to hurt the man who tried to make her join him, violated her personal space and mouth just to try and make her think that he was right and his daughter was wrong.

Elsie strides forwards with the others, her body swathed in the thickest black cloak available to her, her eyes focused on the carnage inside the building; there's fighting everywhere, vampires on both sides going down, tearing fiercely at one another, and it's the first time she's ever _truly_ felt like a vampire. Part of her wants to rip pieces of flesh off of her one time allies, people who showed disdain with the system yet should have stuck with it, because what can Bishop bring besides the carnage and bloodshed he's already started?

However, before she can get into the fight, she's lifted up by another vampire, someone she recognises as soon as his hand is on her waist: Bishop.

"Now, Elsie, I believe I informed you…oh, no, forgive me, I forgot to inform you what would happen if you sided with my daughter," Bishop whispers in her ear, avoiding other fighting vampires, because who really cares about a servant of the Founder? And even though she kicks and screams, fights and wails, to get away from him, his centuries more of life result in him being strong enough to subdue her with one blow to the throat.

**.**

She wakes up again minutes later, her vampire body healing itself within a short period of time, and she's aware that she's going to die. He doesn't need to tell her; she can see it in his eyes, in the way that he regards her with an almost _amused_ expression.

"Given the fact that you are the _only_ person who refused me, and you seemed amiable up until a point, I am going to be lenient and allow you a second chance at the offer I made you in the office," he surprises her by saying, allowing her a chance to renege on what she felt was true and right, in order to live.

She's got a choice: support Bishop and live, or support Amelie and die. It's a choice she doesn't even have to think about, doesn't even need to consider.

"No."

His mouth twists into a smile, and it's the most sinister smile she's ever seen; it's even worse than the times she's seen Oliver with a similar expression, because he's unable to wholly pull it off. Part of her worth is that she can infer what other people are thinking through their actions, and she's always known that there's a softer core to Oliver – only for Amelie, however. And she knows that now, here, this is the end; she's never going to see anyone again. Her last memory will be Bishop's face as he kills her, either by staking her or ripping her to pieces…and she's heard rumours that he enjoys to drain his personal kills, especially if they're vampires.

"Come here, my sweet," his voice is surprisingly soft as he steps forwards – a huntsman's voice. For a moment, she's reassured…until she remembers _all_ vampires have this, and that she's just his prey now, nothing more, given that she refused him for the second time. "If you comply it won't hurt…much."

She shivers and backs into a wall, her fingers digging into the bricks as she tries with all her might to escape, either physically or just in her mind – anything but feel the death that must be imminent.

His hands linger on her throat and he presses his lips to hers once again, and one brief thought of hers is that he's going to kill her and then use her body, subject her to necrophilia, before he releases her with a laugh.

"You're the first woman to have been this close to me in centuries, girl. I hope you appreciate it."

She shivers and shakes her head, tensing her neck as she tries to crane away from the man who is now going to destroy her life, fragment it into tiny pieces, as though it never existed.

And it's almost a blessing as his fangs tear into her throat, spilling blood everywhere; because, as her hands claw at him, rip through his clothes, try to leave delible marks on his skin, it means that she's away from him, that she's no longer part of his games, and that there's a chance that she'll be able to cheer on Amelie from the heavens, or wherever it is that she'll go to.

Her blood covers the floor, spurting out in a dark purple liquid that congeals wherever it touches – and her snow white corpse is soon flung to the ground, forgotten in the medley of violence that ensues in the City Hall…and no matter how much Elsie has tried, her spark doesn't have enough power.

Amelie doesn't win.

* * *

**Don't favourite without reviewing, please and thanks!**

**That was slightly OOC and not particularly Belsie romance, but I hope you liked it!**

**Vicky xx**


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